The Urgency of Involvement

One thing I learned from my involvement in the presidential election campaign last year. What I learned is the reason why I want to continue getting involved in the political process. What I learned is that the closer elections get, the less effective we are in getting our message across to our voters and getting our candidates elected.

During the feverish campaign (not only here in Miami-Dade but also in Forsyth County, NC.) to get then Senator Obama elected to the Presidency, we knock on many doors where we were made aware of one reality. The “potential” voters we called on were in desperate need to get either more information, get clarification on certain important issues, or just in need of being reassured that things would eventually get better if we won the presidential election.

The pressure then was to knock on as many doors as possible, to get as many people as possible to the polls. However, the lack of knowledge about the issues, the cynicism about the political process, and many times just the need for reassurance, kept many people away from the voting booth. In many cases, a little bit of information about an issue, a short explanation about a doubtful point, or the clear identification of how the opposition mixed myth with reality, was sufficient to get the voter on our side.

That is why I believe in the urgency of involvement, and in the need to make every possible tool available to us useful for the purpose of educating, informing, and gaining support. Congressional elections are already closer than we imagine, and our effort to get the message across has not started.

The Pope’s Visit to the Middle East

As a Christian Catholic who agrees with the Pope on the importance of freedom of religion and who believes in the necessity of peace, I am surprised that His Holiness has not made this trip before now. Peace between Israel and Palestine is the most important issue in world affairs today. Most countries, including members of the Arab League, Britain, the European Union, and the United States are deeply involved with, and concerned with the slow process of reaching an agreement between the representatives of Israel and those of the Palestinian people. Shining for its absence is the presence of the United Nation’s representatives in the mediation of the conflict.

There have never been better signs indicating the possibility of a long-term peace agreement than we can see now. I am not referring to the public statements of spoke- persons for either side that have more to do with publicity than with logical analysis of the real problem. There is not only a renewed concern of world opinion about the inefficacy of war as a means to resolve international conflicts, but there is a new age of “pragmatism” that offers many more possibilities of an agreement that the empty gestures and faked smiles that have accompanied the process in the last 20 years.

The two parties directly involved in the conflict know it, and the world looks upon this unnecessary conflict with sadness and reproach. There is no time to review legal documents and blame each other. Now is the time to recognize that war is a waste of money and moral reserve. History has taught us that silence at the suffering of many is unjust, immoral, impractical, and wasteful.

I wish all the God fearing, good willing people with something to say or do about this conflict to say it now, before it may be too late.

Marco Rubio to run for the US Senate

The thought of any more Florida Republicans in Congress is enough to make any thoughtful Democrat have a sudden attack of what will probably feel like “swine-flu”.
The question is whether we Democrats are prepared to do the necessary work to win the senatorial race, and not give the “Limbaugh boys” a chance to continue the kind of policies they have implemented in the State with the unacceptable results that we are all seeing.

I believe that we Democrats in Florida and Miami-Dade should not feel very proud of our accomplishments. Our victory and political achievement is the result of two very clear historical events: the catastrophic failure of the Republican Party who gave such preeminence to the voice of the extreme right in their constituency, and the unbelievable triumph of one person, called Obama.

Now that the race is on, the first thing that we hear from our potential candidates is not any particular strategy or plan that may ensure the success in putting a democrat in the seat of Mel Martinez, but the same old criticism of the party of “NO” and requests for “donations”, as if just making donations would ensure our victory. Did we learn anything from the past candidacy of Raul Martinez, Joe Garcia, and Annette Tadeo?

It is time for the Miami Democratic Party to assume the leadership and the responsibility in planning winning strategies and in directing the efforts of the registered voters to get our candidates elected. The best thing the leadership can do to ensure success, is to take into account what the voters think and what they can do for the party. It seems to me that just asking for donations and/or criticizing the extreme right of the Republican Party is not the right strategy for Democrats.